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So what is an abscess tooth

An abscess tooth is actually termed an odontogenic (tooth) infection. A abscess tooth usually starts as a result of a decayed tooth, the decay which contains bacteria slowly eats away at the tooth and breaks down its structure. Soon enough the bacteria will progress deep enough into the nerves and blood vessels of the tooth termed the pulp of the tooth. Once inside it will start to spread like how a normal infection spreads when a gaping open wound is left untreated. The infection will slowly tract inside the pulp chamber of the tooth and cause the pulp of the tooth to die and become abscessed. This abscess tooth or pus will eventually tract and spread to infect the jaw bone. Clinically an abscess is a thick walled cavity pus. It is well localized or confined in the thick wall of the jaw bone or gum tissue.

What is gingivitis?

Gingivitis or generally known as gums (gingiva) disease is defined as an inflammation of the gums surrounding the teeth. Gingivitis is commonly initiated by dental plaque formation, termed as plaque-induced gingival disease. With continuous plaque irritation and severe inflammation to the gums, this condition will progress into periodontitis, a destructive form of periodontal disease.

However, non-plaque-induced gingival lesion is an oral manifestation of systemic conditions that produce lesions in the gums; which are in very rare occurrence. Continue reading →

Handling a toothache of a teething baby?

As your baby continues to grow, their teeth inside their mouth also grows out. This growing out of teeth in the baby’s mouth is called teething. All babies will experience them. At about 6 months of age, the first baby tooth already appears or erupts in thebaby’s mouth. The eruption of teeth can be somewhat painful or uncomfortable to the baby. Continue reading →

Snoring statistics

Any person can snore when they sleep at night. That being said, people do not snore on purpose just to irritate you. Trust me; I am a very loud snorer myself. Studies estimate that 45% of men and 30% of women snore on a regular basis. Most people try to seek out a way to stop snoring at night naturally rather than opting for invasive procedures like nasal or oral surgery.

What causes snoring at night ?

When we are asleep, the area at the back of the throat sometimes narrows. The same amount of air passing through this smaller opening can cause the tissues surrounding the opening to vibrate, which in turn can cause the sounds of snoring. Different people who snore have different reasons for the narrowing. The narrowed airways can be in the nose, mouth, or throat.

This is a Oral B Toothbrush with blue indicator bristles

How often should you change your toothbrush

Some people can use their toothbrushrepeatedly until they misplace it. The average American only change their brushes 1.9 times a year. The American Dental Association recommends that you change your toothbrush at least four times a year, approximately 3 months and every time you are sick. If the bristles of your toothbrush start flaring before three to four months, then you are using too much pressure to brush your teeth. Dentist believes toothbrushes should be thrown out after roughly 40 to 50 uses. Healthy people should change brushes every two weeks. People with gum problems, other oral diseases, or weakened immune systems should change toothbrush more often. People with a respiratory illness or other infectious disease should change their brushes at the beginning of the illness, again when they first feel better, and once again when they are well. Toothbrush replacement should also be practiced every day for patients who are recovering from major surgery because susceptibility to infections is higher at that time.

The easiest way to know when to change your brushes nowadays is to look at the indicators on the toothbrush. Usually the indicators consist of two or three rows of bristles which are blue in color, when the blue color fades; it is time to change a new toothbrush.

What is thrush in general

Thrush is an infection caused by a yeast which is a small living fungus called candida.

Most people have candida on their skin, in their mouths (oral thrush) , in the genital region and in their gut most of the time without having any problems from it.

Babies and young children can get thrush in the mouth and on the skin, when occurring on the skin it is called as a nappy rash.

Breastfeeding mothers can also get thrush on their nipples, causing pain when feeding. This is often caused by the transmission of candida from the baby’s mouth to the mother’s nipple or the other way round.

This diagram shows the first baby teeth growing in the mother’s uterus

So, how do baby’s teeth grow ? The baby teeth actually starts growing during the 6th week in the mothers uterus. These baby teeth growth starts with the Bell shape tooth germ. This Bell shape structure seen is actually the enamel organ, which will eventually grow into a baby teeth. As you can see the enamel organ or tooth germ contains numerous cells. These cells will continue to grow and differentiate into different and more advance cells to form the tooth. The outer and inner enamel organ eventually forms the outer casing of the tooth called the enamel layer. Where else the dental papilla cells will form the inner section of the tooth known as the pulp chamber. The permanent tooth bud will continue to grow into the permanent teeth after the baby tooth eruption is completed in the mouth.

gingival flap surgery

How is the basic gingival flap surgery procedure performed

First a local anesthetic injection will be given to the site of the surgery to numb the area. This injection is the same type of injection used when extracting teeth. Therefore, no excessive sedation is necessary unless the patient is very anxious. Then, your dentist will wait a few minutes and test the area again for numbness. The dentist will than make incisions or cuts along the gum margin (neck of the tooth) . When that is done, two vertical incisions are made according to the width of the gingival flap. The gingival flap is than pulled away from the jaw bone using a forceps and a elevator. Your dentist will then examine the exposed bone and roots. If there are inflamed or swollen gum tissue between the teeth, your dentist will remove it. Depending on the situation, inflamed gum tissue may also have to be removed from holes in the bone. Continue reading →

A gingival pocket formation can be seen

A Quick history on Periodontal Disease

What causes periodontal gum disease ? Our mouths are full of bacteria. These bacteria, along with mucus and other particles, constantly form a sticky, colorless plaque on teeth. Brushing and flossing help get rid of plaque. Plaque that is not removed can harden and form calculus that brushing does not clean. Only a professional cleaning by a dentist or dental hygienist can remove the calculus as it is very hard like pieces of rocks.

The longer plaque and calculus are on teeth, the more harmful they become. The bacteria causes inflammation of the gums leading to gingivitis. In gingivitis, the gums become red, swollen and can bleed easily. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that can usually be reversed with daily brushing and flossing, and regular cleaning by a dentist or dental hygienist. This form of gum disease does not include any loss of jaw bone and tissue that hold teeth in place. Continue reading →